The Tyrant's Pet

<strong>Love...  </strong>

Aries and Abel had shared the most intimate thing a man and a woman could share physically. They had whispered all sweet nothings in each other's ears, aware of each other's importance in their life.

But never once that word 'love' ever left their lips.

They believed it wasn't important because they knew their hearts. And they understood they had a mutual understanding of their actions, thinking, and feelings.

Who would have thought that simple sentence, "I will still love you the same," would make all the fibers of her body tingle? Butterflies in her stomach, making her toes curl and melt at the tenderness of his lips.

He loves her.

It was the most obvious thing in the world, and yet, hearing it brought bubbles into her heart. It sounded beautiful. The restlessness in her heart calmed down, eyes shut, feeling his warm transfer from his mouth to hers.

But when Aries reopened her eyes weakly, he was gone.

"Abel?" she called, propping her elbow on the mattress while looking around the empty tent. "Abel?!"

Aries held her breath as she blinked countless times, thinking they were just kissing just now. Where did he go in a split second?

"Abel...?" Her voice grew firm and shaky, flinging her legs out of the bed. Aries rushed outside the entrance of the tent and the second she was out, her face was met with a cool breeze.

She halted, eyes on the thick snow covering the surrounding. She held her bicep and lifted her gaze, lips quivering seeing the familiar narrow trail.

"Abel?" she called as she noticed the footsteps on the ankle-deep snow. But just as she took a step to follow the trail, Aries looked back.

The tent... was gone.

"No," came out a whisper before setting her eyes back ahead. "No."

Aries shook her head mildly as realization dawned on her. She was dreaming — just as Abel told her.

"Abel...?" she called with a shaking voice before her eyes fell on the trail once again. She gulped, hearing her swallow in her ear. Her lips parted once again, but no words came out. Instead, her eyes stared at the footsteps leading to the narrow trail.

Reluctance flickered across her eyes before she clenched her teeth, forcing a step forward. One heavy step was followed by easier ones, making her feel it wasn't that hard moving forward. All she needed was courage.

Aries followed the footsteps, trudging through the ankle-deep snow and entering the allee fearlessly. As she went deeper into the dark forest, Aries clutched a hand closer to her chest as she heard faint waves of laughter echoing from a distance. She ignored it, marching through the line of trees.

"Oh, Aries~!" she heard that voice once again, but she paid it no attention. "Go faster! Or we will catch you~! Hahaha!"

Aries stopped after the seemingly long walk, standing still at a distance as her eyes landed on the figure lying with her tummy on the frosted ground. Her heart clenched, watching her younger self raise her head to meet her eyes.

'What are you still there?' she wondered, balling her hand into a fist. 'They will catch you if you stayed there.'

Just when Aries took a step forward, she stopped once more upon realizing the weather. It was winter and thus, she should be cold. But she wasn't. She gazed down ever so slowly, only to see her white chemise was now a brown, old cloak to keep her a little warm.

"What...?" she raised a hand, curling her fingers when she was certain they looked normal. She then looked around and then it hit her.

That figure she saw that night... also stood in this very spot and wore this long cloak.

What was going on?

Aries looked back to her younger self, still slumped on the cold ground. Despite the thick darkness, she could see her pale, lean, and exhausted face. Her heart gripped with sympathy once again seeing the face she used to wear in this Maganti. Before she could approach that younger pitiful Aries, she caught another figure standing opposite her — behind the Aries on the ground.

There, a woman riding a steed wore a cold front and looked at the woman on the ground with no emotion in particular. There wasn't sympathy or anything in her eyes. Although she wore the same face as the two of them, she was nonchalant.

One was exhausted and hopeless, the other was unsympathetic. Seeing her face, who lived in different times from another perspective, was astounding in a way.

Her lips curled up into a mocking smirk as she darted her eyes between the two women who bore her face. She didn't know, nor did she understand this strange phenomenon. But one thing was for sure, those two... were her and she was them.

They were one.

Aries found the strength to approach the woman on the ground without a pause or picking up her pace. She took her precious time until she reached her, squatting down in front of her. She pressed a thumb on her chin to take a good look at her.

The latter looked at her, scared. So Aries smiled subtly as her eyes turned soft.

"Don't be scared," she whispered softly. "I won't hurt you, Aries."

The younger Aries's lips quivered as tears clouded her vision. A shallow breath slipped past Aries' lips seeing the desperation across the pitiful woman's face.

"Help," the younger Aries whispered with a shaking voice, watching the woman under the cloak nod.

"You will be fine," Aries reassured with a soothing voice. "Stay strong, Aries. Just… stay strong, alright? Don't break here; you can't."

She knew she couldn't give anything but her mere words of encouragement. But Aries knew herself more than anyone. The only help she needed wasn't someone to get her out of here; that would strain her unnecessary pride. Call it foolish, but Aries knew if she came out of here with someone's help, all she had been fighting for would be lost.

Wasn't that the reason she was running away despite not having any piece to give her warmth because she had to fight as long as she could?

"One day, Aries, one day… the sun will rise and you will watch it with someone who will make the world fall to its knees if they so touch the tip of your hair." Aries laughed weakly. "He will love you even if your hair is crimped and messy, and he will look at you like you are the most beautiful woman, despite your flaws. And… he will have your back. You just need to get out of here and see him."

Aries smiled and huffed weakly, pinching her chin, only to see her reflection in the other Aries's eyes. She was… horrendous.

"The past, the present, and the future… we are one, Aries. I will not forget my roots and I had forgiven my present," she whispered as she opened the younger Aries's mouth slightly. "Follow your heart and don't be discouraged. He will be waiting. Don't make the same mistake as I did, Aries."

This time, instead of a dark shroud from her mouth, a transparent one traveled from her to the younger Aries.